Native Lands

What was it like before Europeans settlers arrived here? Immerse yourself in the world of art, music and ceremony of the Muscogee and Cherokees.

Native Lands shares the history and stories of the state’s original inhabitants beginning with the Mississippian peoples and continuing with their descendants, the Muscogee and the Cherokees. Long before the first European settlers came to what is now called Georgia, the Mississippian Indians developed complex societies on these lands – complete with art, music, ceremony, agriculture, architecture and trade industries. The Muscogee and Cherokees left landmarks and cultural legacies prior to their 1830s removal from the state on the Trail of Tears.

Share a Moment with the Originals

Native Lands explores the recent history of Muscogee and Cherokee people, and their continuing connections to Georgia, through contemporary voices.

Selection of arrowheads and stone points left by the Muscogee and Cherokees as they were forcibly removed from their native lands by European settlers. (ca. 1830)

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